talking about computers and design
by Ralph Grabowski

Aug 06, 2006

Real-time 3D Scanner

Before I give you the details (and you get excited by the specs), let me first provide you with the price: US$39,900. Now that you know you cannot afford it...

Z Corporation says its ZScanner 700 is the first handheld, self-positioning 3D scanner that digitizes 3D surfaces in real time. (If it's the first, why is the model number "700"?)

Other scanning systems are fixed in place; this one you hold in your hand, making it easier to scan hard-to-see nooks, but harder to head off to Starbucks while the scanner completes its job. The 700 orients itself to the object and lets you move the object during scanning. No mention of how fast I could move the object -- could I scan passing automobiles?

The scanner detects surface contours of 0.1mm difference. It generates a single scan file in STL format, and displays the scanned surface in real-time.